The Alchemy Index
by GreatCaptain21
Summary: A couple years after the 100 year war, a new war has begun, and there's no promise everyone will make it out alive this time.  Based loosely off of Thrice's Alchemy Index. Kataang, Maiko, Tokka
1. Broken Lungs

**A/N: Ermmm so this is my first story and it's a chaptered one. Huzzah! Anyways, I was inspired by Thrice's Alchemy Index, hence the name (Clever right? herpderp). So here's chapter one, it's from Katara's point of view. this takes place a couple years after the hundred year war. Now a new war is a-brewin' and who is behind in other than the lucious Azuuuulllllaaaaa. So enjoy it, embrace it, love it like a child or whatever**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I'm sorry if you googled yourself and ended up here, this isn't about you. Also I don't own Thrice's Alchemy Index.**

**Also, I fully expect my roommates to lulz at me for nerding so much over Thrice and Avatar**

_Woke up to a brand new skyline  
We licked our wounds and mourned the dead  
Swallow the story, hook and sinker  
Is that what we meant, when we said  
That we never would forget?_

"Once one war is ended, another must begin" Zuko spoke the words but he didn't want to believe them. I could tell by the look of pain he gave Aang when he spoke them. He placed his hand sympathetically on his shoulder and tilted his head sadly

Sokka buried his face in his hands and sighed. I had never seen my brother cry, but I was pretty sure this was the closest I'd seen him come to it. "You'll stay here of course, you have to run the fire nation" he sniffed and nodded to Zuko

"Mai will run the Fire Nation, she's incredibly capable" Zuko squeezed his wife's hand fondly and she averted her eyes to the floor, no doubt hiding the urge to cry. The urge we were all feeling right now. "Will you be able to do this, Katara?" Zuko's voice was concerned but hopeful. All eyes fell on me

I looked around the room at my friends, avoiding Aang's eyes and inhaled "Of course" I nodded weakly. I shook my head roughly and groaned "We've fought a war before guys, and if I remember correctly, we won. Let's remember who we are" I forced the words of encouragement out

"You and Toph will leave in the morning. I know you two will make it out fine" Zuko handed me a rolled up map and I joined Toph at her side

"What about you three?" Toph spoke for the first time that night

"Worry about what you and Katara have to do" Sokka pushed Toph's hair out of her face a little and she furrowed her eyebrows. My chest began to hurt when Sokka spoke the words. He didn't believe any of them were coming back. None of them did

"You and Toph should come with me" Mai touched my arm lightly and we followed her and the boys into the hall. I grabbed Aang's hand and pulled him against me hard, burying my face in his neck

He buried his fingers into my hair and kissed my forehead "You're so brave" he whispered against my skin and I choked on my tears

"When will I see you again?" I looked into his stormy gray eyes, clouded over with sadness. He simply tilted his head to the side and I sobbed "Please come back to me after this" I begged

"I'll try, Katara" he kissed me softly before turning down the opposite side of the hall with the other boys

Toph held my hand as we made our way to Mai's quarters and I appreciated the gesture coming from her. "We have to stay strong for them. For us" she tugged my hand lightly and I wiped my tears on the back of my hand. Mai's room hadn't been used since her and Zuko had gotten married two months ago, but it was a large and beautiful room and had obviously been looked after in its vacancy

"Did Zuko explain to you about your hair?" Mai sat us down in separate chairs in front of vanity mirrors

"We have to be unrecognizable." Toph rattled off and Mai nodded, despite Toph being unable to see her

"I wish I could do this with you guys" Mai frowned and I looked up at her from my chair

"Don't be silly, Mai, the Fire Nation needs you more than anything right now. You belong here" I reassured her and she pulled out a razor

"I'm sorry for this, Katara. I always did think you had beautiful hair" Mai apologized, pulling my hair out of its long braid. I closed my eyes tightly and felt a soft tug. I glanced down at the floor in time to see a long chunk of my hair fall to the floor, followed by another, and another. I swallowed hard as I watched what was left of the front of my hang get sliced into short messy bangs. When Mai was done she attempted to style my short boy hair and sighed. "Here" she turned to her vanity and picked up a barrette from it "keep this" she clipped it into my bangs and spun me around to take in my new reflection. I stared back at the stranger in the mirror and gasped. My hair now fell just below my ears in choppy layers, with bangs that now threatened to fall in my eyes like Toph's. Yet right where Mai had clipped it, a small barrette with a little red and gold flower clung to my hair. And it was comforting. I ran my finger through my scalp and smiled half heartedly at Mai

* * *

"Ready, Toph?" Mai pulled Toph's hair down and it cascaded in long black locks around her shoulders. Toph simply nodded.

The next morning I tried to style what little hair Toph had left and out of sympathy she let me. Mai had cut her hair even shorter than mine and it reminded me of Aang's when he had let it grow in. It was still slightly dark outside as we changed out of our clothes into the rags that Mai had brought us. I slipped the tattered brown dress over my head and frowned as it fell just above my knees. We were told we couldn't wear shoes, much to Toph's enjoyment, and I slipped quietly out the door with my bare feet

The boys were waiting downstairs for us and Sokka threw himself around me first "Katara, mom would be so proud of you. Stay safe, baby sister, I need you to come home from this" he kissed my forehead and I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly. As he moved onto Toph Zuko grabbed my hand in his own

"I'm glad we became friends, Katara. I never thought I would see the day when I could say that" he bowed respectfully and I pulled him into a hug

"You're going to be the greatest Fire Lord the world has ever seen" I promised and Zuko relaxed in my embrace

"You think so?" he grinned and I nodded with a smile. Finally Aang stopped in front of me, his fingers lightly dancing against mine

"Even without your hair, you're so beautiful" he smiled sadly and I laughed

"It'll grow back" I promised and he laced his finger through my hair

"I love you so much" he touched his nose to mine and I swallowed tears

"Aang, I love you too, and we'll get through this. We can get through anything, I just need you to believe that" I muttered against his cheek and he nodded

"I believe you, Katara. If you say it's true then I believe you" he kissed me roughly and looked me in the eye "Stay with Toph, it'll be harder alone" he warned. I nodded and he kissed me again, this time softer, running his thumb gently over my neck

"When I get back, let's get married" I looked him seriously in the eyes and he inhaled sharply

"But I'm still only fifteen" he muttered and I shook my head

"One hundred and fifteen" I corrected him "and you're the avatar" I reminded him

Aang laughed softly "When we get back, we'll get married" he promised and I smiled into his final hug

"Where's my hug, Twinkle Toes?" Toph demanded with a playful smirk on her face and Aang laughed, carefully skipping over to her and picking her up and a tight embrace

"Keep her safe for me, Toph" Aang ruffled her short new hair and Toph swatted his hand

"You got it" she flashed him a thumbs up and Mai lead us to the front steps of the palace

"It's gonna be a pretty uncomfortable ride over, but I asked Wu Li to take it easy" she placed a blindfold over my eyes and lead Toph and I into the back of a large wooden cage on a carriage. "Be careful you two, and don't let Luon catch on. Try to stay positive" she squeezed my hand and I grinned. It was funny to hear Mai say anything about staying positive

"We'll have fun Mai, don't worry. We're here to make to most out of slavery" Toph snorted and there was a rough lurch forward as the door was slammed shut and the cart began to roll.

**and onto chapter 2!**


	2. The Whaler

**A/N: Yay chapter two! This one is from Sokka's point of view and there's a battle! Sort of a crappy battle, sorry, but a battle nonetheless. It's a precursor for more awesome battles ahead. So I guess I should totally clarify the pairings in this story, since I'm a ruhtard and didn't do it in the first chapter. So here's the couples:  
Aang/Katara  
Zuko/Mai  
Sokka/Toph (eff yeah non-canon ship!)**

_Darling why do you leave,  
When the North wind begins to blow?  
Will you be coming home  
To me?_

When Toph and Katara had left in the morning, the palace felt empty. I watched Mai nervously fix the front of Zuko's shirt over and over again while Aang paced around on top of the long dining room table

"What are you doing on the table, Aang?" I watched his fingers pass my sisters necklace between one another and sighed

"Ugh" He leapt lightly onto the ground "I didn't even know I was up there" he answered honestly and I motioned him to come sit next to me

"She's the strongest girl I know. Hell, she's stronger than most men I know" I snorted, referring to Katara "I doubt this will take her longer than the month. She'll be back, prancing about the palace before the autumnal equinox" I promised and Aang collapsed onto the bench next to me, necklace clasped firmly in his hand

"She wants to get married" Aang stated bluntly and I folded my hands against my mouth. Sure I was glad to see Katara with someone that was so perfect for her, but she was still my little sister

"Is that bad?" I had to also take into account that Aang was my best friend

"No!" Aang was basically shouting now "It's a great thing. But…" he scratched at the table top "But what if we don't come back? What if I can't keep my promise?"

I nudged his shoulder "Don't think like that, Aang. If any of us are coming back, it's you"

Aang narrowed his eyes at me "Not without you and Zuko" his words came out almost as a threat

The Fire Nation General appeared in the doorway as if on cue and cleared his throat "The ship is leaving" he bowed, turning to leave back to the docks

Mai's hands shook as she bid her husband a farewell and Zuko promised her that she would be a great Fire Lord until he returned. Aang pocketed my sister's necklace and retrieved his staff from atop the table while I fastened the sword my dad had given me to my side. I stood to bow to Mai and smiled lightly

"Lady Mai, you are a perfect Fire Lord" I placed a hand on her shoulder and was surprised when she gave me a quick hug

"Keep an eye on him, Sokka" Mai glanced over towards Zuko and I laughed

"I will" I promised

"Gentlemen" Zuko looked to Aang and I and we followed him out of the palace towards the docks.

The ride to the docks felt like the longest ride I'd ever taken. As we came close we saw a small boat being loaded with a little supplies and to my horror, Toph and my sister. "I thought they left hours ago" I demanded, looking to Zuko

"They were sold hours ago. That's the man that bought them" Zuko informed me and I felt Aang tense up at my side

"Where is he taking them?" he asked desperately

"To Ba Sing Se's black market. To Luon" Zuko sounded apologetic and I held Aang down as the man shoved Katara onto the boat

"Let her go Aang, she has to do this, you know that" I couldn't believe I was actually stopping someone from protecting the little sister I had fought for years to protect myself. Aang whimpered and I hugged him "I know it's hard, Aang, remember that they have Toph too" I whispered and Aang relaxed.

"I'm sorry Sokka, I should be stronger" he shook his head and I fished a small metal bracelet from my pocket. It was Toph's space metal bracelet she had fashioned out of meteorite

"We have women who need us to come home" I smirked "Like real soldiers"

Aang laughed and looked to Zuko, who simply pulled a thin gold necklace with a flame on it from under his shirt. He tucked it back in and smirked "Like real soldiers" he repeated and I laughed too

"To victory, men!" I shook my fist and we boarded the ship

* * *

It was surprising how quickly I became tired of listening to Zuko go over war plans and strategies with the soldiers. It was the same thing over and over again. Infiltrate this, sabotage that, Azula, Azula, Azula. It was unnerving to listen to and frankly my attention span wasn't that long. I occupied my time playing Roshambo with Aang on the deck. "When I get home, I'm going to build a house" Aang balanced carefully on his toes as I flicked him in the nose

"Why? Just buy one that's already built. Building one's just ridiculous" I snorted

"For Katara and me to live in. If I build it it'll mean something to her. She'll know that I made it just for her and that I love her" Aang dealt a hefty flick to the underside of my nose and I flinched

"You're a hopeless romantic, Aang" I shook my head and Aang laughed

"You should do something for Toph when we get home" he spun around quickly and I laughed harder

"Right, so she can smash it?" I raised an eyebrow and Aang chuckled loudly

"Yeah, sure" he shrugged. There was a faint whistling noise followed by a crash

"Enemy ship" A soldier ran past me and I groaned

"We've been at sea for five hours and we're already under attack" I threw my hands into the air and pulled my sword from my side. This ship pulled up close to us, black, menacing, everything I expected and enemy ship to be. Aang pulled me down on the deck as a barrage of arrows rained down around us, killing two of the soldiers on deck near us. Aang swung his staff more viciously than usual, sending a torrent of water and air on deck of the enemy ship. There was a loud bang of thunder overhead and I looked up to the ominous black skies. The deck shook as the gang plank of the enemy ship fell over onto ours.

"Kill everyone, leave no survivors" The voice was loud and sure and I looked over to the swarm of soldiers making their way onto our boat. My sword felt heavy with each blow I delivered to an enemy soldier and cried out as one swiped me in the face

"Aang!" I heard Zuko's voice strike out across the deck as a spiral of fire fell a line of men

Aang looked up from the unconscious soldiers around him. He expertly dodged a razor thin sheet of water from an enemy water bender and Zuko nodded to him "You have to kill them, Aang. We can't run" he was stern and unrelenting "Not this time"

I brought my sword through the neck of an Earthbender posed behind Aang, hands held high to strike. Aang looked up at me horrified and I wrinkled my nose "Please, Aang. You're not a monk anymore, you're a soldier" I shook his shoulders and I saw his eyes grow cloudy as he nodded. This war was much more high stakes. Everyone was at risk, and we couldn't simply run this time. Aang inhaled deeply and swung his staff high above his head, striking a soldier down dead simply. It was terrifying to see him kill. He possessed so much more power than any of us could imagine, killing was like breathing. Simple. I slid across the deck towards a row of soldiers and was glad in that moment that Katara wasn't with us to see Aang kill. There was another loud crack as lightning struck the planks of wood on the boats deck. The clouds seemed to open up and unleash water by the gallons onto us and I gritted my teeth. The waterbenders had a crippling advantage.

The floorboards beneath me lurched and my stomach suddenly sunk with the realization that the ship was coming undone with the storm and the battle. Everywhere around us was grey, violent waves, picking up and slamming back into the ocean. And rocks. In the distance there were jagged black rocks

"Zuko!" I cried through the rain and the battle. Zuko joined me at my side "We need to get to those rocks, the ships coming down" I was basically yelling for him to hear and he nodded in understanding. Almost everyone onboard was dead, ally and enemy, and this was only the first battle. I knew that there was an entire fleet a day ahead of us and another one leaving tomorrow, but this wasn't promising.

"Rebels, to the front of the ship!" Zuko cried into the air and what was left of our men fled to our sides. Everyone except Aang. The enemies stayed on the back of the ship with Aang, confused with the sudden lack of soldiers, but hungry with the want to be the one that killed the avatar. A pale blue light illuminated the back side of the ship and I knew Aang had gone into the avatar state. I closed my eyes, suddenly glad I was out of eyesight and earshot of what was about to happen.

"I can't believe I thought I could ever defeat him" Zuko stared in disbelief towards the foggy light

"He was a different person then. A little boy. He would've never killed you" I looked down at my feet and swayed a little as the deck cracked inward a little. Zuko looked away as Aang limped over to us, staff draggin on the ground

"Are they…" an earthbender fighting for us looked to Aang

"Dead?" he raised a tired eyebrow "Yeah" he hopped carefully on his left foot, while his right one hung almost limply from his ankle

"The ships going down Aang, we need to get to those rocks, it's our only hope" I pointed to the black outlines in the rain. Aang groaned and I grabbed his shoulders "Do it for Katara"

Aang winced as he placed his foot back on the ground and spun his staff above him. There was an overwhelming gust and instant cold as the ocean met us and carried us roughly to the rocks. I felt my head make contact with the earth, then darkness.


End file.
